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Environmental News

MPR News is your source for environment news from Minnesota and across the country.

Getting to Green: Minnesota’s energy future

Getting to Green is an MPR News series that shares stories about Minnesota’s clean energy transition, including what needs to be done to get there.

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Climate Cast

Listen to Climate Cast, the MPR News podcast all about our changing climate and its impact in Minnesota and worldwide.

The battle over fish farming in the open ocean heats up, as EPA permit looms

The battle over fish farming in the open ocean heats up, as EPA permit looms

Advocates say farmed seafood is more sustainable than wild-caught. Critics say these farms pollute surrounding waters. Federal waters have been off-limits to aquaculture, but that may soon change.
by Leah Douglas

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Minnesota’s busiest state park reopens after flood cleanup

Minnesota’s busiest state park reopens after flood cleanup

Fort Snelling State Park is the state’s busiest, with about a million day visitors every year. Extended flooding shut the park down for six months and covered parts of it with as much as 3 feet of silt this year. But it reopened Tuesday, just in time for the fall colors to start to turn.
by Tim Nelson

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Minnesota Supreme Court rejects Line 3 pipeline challenges

Minnesota Supreme Court rejects Line 3 pipeline challenges

The decision means that state regulators can begin the process of fixing the controversial project’s environmental review, which is required before Enbridge Energy may obtain the permits it needs to begin construction.
by Dan Kraker

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Walz signs order creating Governor's Biofuels Council

The Governor's Biofuels Council will have 15 members, including representatives of the agriculture, biofuels and transportation industries, as well as environmental and conservation groups.
by The Associated Press

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Vineyards facing an insect invasion may turn to aliens for help

Vineyards facing an insect invasion may turn to aliens for help

A stowaway from China, the spotted lanternfly, is eating its way across Pennsylvania, killing trees and grapevines. Scientists are considering importing the bug's natural enemies from back home.
by Dan Charles

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A fire lookout discusses what's lost in a transition to technology

A fire lookout discusses what's lost in a transition to technology

The number of manned fire lookouts in the U.S. is dwindling, as technology is increasingly used to spot and monitor wildfires. But can technology fully replace the human eye?
by Nathan Rott

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This year's wet weather may lead to vibrant fall colors in Minnesota

This year's wet weather may lead to vibrant fall colors in Minnesota

Abundant rainfall this year may lead to a particularly vibrant display of fall color across Minnesota — as long as we get some sunny, dry days in the coming weeks.
by Andrew Krueger

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Along North Shore, piles of rocks create mountains of controversy

Along North Shore, piles of rocks create mountains of controversy

A nationwide controversy over the building of cairns — those stacks of rocks, usually built to mark a trail — has spread to Minnesota. Detractors say they ruin the view and can cause ecological harm. Others don’t understand what all the fuss is about.
by Dan Kraker

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